Faucet and valve.



I M. E. JOYCE. FAUGET AND VALVE. APPLIOATION P-ILEI') PBB.26,1909.

988,575, Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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M. E. JOYCE.

FAUGET AND VALVE. APPLICATION FILED 211.25, 1909.

988,575. Patented Apr. 4, 1911 2 BHEBTS SHEBT 2.

' oil? water from the faucet.

I-EINGTGN, DISTRICT Ull OOLUMBLfi.

nun vaitvn.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4t. Mill.

application filed February 25, 1909. Serial .ll'o. 9,934.

herehy declare the following to he a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will ena ole others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

lvly invention, stated in general terms, is a faucet or other valve provided with an im proved automatic cut-oil which under fluidpressure will close the passage through the valvc-seat when the valve proper is removed. from the case for inspection adjustment or repair; In a Water-spigot or faucet, for example, the automatic cut-cit will. thus prevent the water itroni Spurting out and deluging the premises and person manipulating the faucet. when the screw-cap with the valve proper is unscrewed and detached to permit renewing the washer of the velv'e, or grinding the valve-seat, or for other pur poses.

'lhe ohjectot my invention is'to provide a simple, practicable and eillcient device of the above-stated character. and one that can be manufactured at little more than the cost of manufacture of the ordinary faucet or valve.

I attain the oloject stated loy means substantially as hereinafter described withreference to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims annexed to this specification.

The invention is applicable to various sorts of cocks and valves. including steam cocks, holler and injector valves, etc. and hence do not intend to restrict myself to the particular embodiments showi'i in the drawings wherein l have by way of example illustrated several constructional modifica tions or faucets embodying the-invention.

.lttach figure of the drawing is a side e1evation of a faucet having a portion of its body or case broken away and its revealed interior shown in section with parts in elevation.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 represent a preferred form of my invention in a faucet of stand aid or conventional type. Fig. 1 shows the valve seated or closed. Fig. .2 shows the valve raised from its seat to allow discharge Fig. 3 shows the 'the internal; bridge 01 partition ing it from spouting out th faucet when its screw-cap together with the valve'stem and valve have been removed, the cut-off being in operation. Fig. lis view like Fig". 1 showing a similar style of faucet with a modified form of embodiment of the invention.

Corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference symbols in the ditlerent fig ures.

l n l to 3 inclusive, the faucet is of the screw-plug type connnonlyin use. 1 is itshodyn; case or shell; 2 its screw-cap; 3 the val ve-stem or spindle of the screw-plug; 4- the screw thereof, workingin the female screw h'in the case; and 6 an elastic packing, disk or Washer, usually of fiber, leather or the like allixed to the toot of the screwplug and constituting the valve-proper which seats over and closes the central. orifice in T dividing the inlet-chamher from the dischargecham her of the faucet. A scparatering 8. secured in the said central orifice. furnishes the valve-seat 9 for the disk or washer 6.

Below the valve-seat. a swell or bulge of the faucet-case or shell 1' furnishes a chamher for a spherical valve or ball 10 which is adapted under force of the water pressure to rise and (-losethc central orifice of the faucet from the bottom side; the aforesaid ring 8 also ali'ording a valve-seat 11 to receive the hall. Under normal conditions, however. whether the faucet be opened or closed. tin hall is prevented from seating by means of a. stud. or projection 12 depending from the valve-head and constituting a con- -tinuation of the valve-stem; which stud in practice may he an extension of the screw which secures the packing or washer 6 to the foot of the screw-plug. Hence, as will he observed, when the screw-givingis adjusted up to-raise the washer 6 from its seat and therein" open the faucet. the rising of the hall lOis restrained by the stud 12, thus maintaining the central orifice or passage open to allow a full discharge of water from the faucet. as shown in Fig. 9. llutwhen it is desired to inspect, adjust or repair the faucet. or to renew the washer 6. the screwcap 2 is unfiistened, thus allowing the screwplug to be screwed out of the case. so that. the stud l9, being withdrawn, the hell it) is free to rise and close tl'ae lower valveseat 11, thus. shutting oil" the water and -prevai gh the opened iii top of the case. Upon replacing the screwplug and its screw-cap 2, the stud 12 will agam enter the ring 8 and push the ball 10 away-from its seat, thus allowing the faucet to be operated or controlled by the screw-- plug alone in the ordinary manner.

The relative length of the stud 12 and range of motion of the ball 10 and adjustment of the screw-plug, are preferably such that the ball will at all times be prevented from seating under ordinary operation of the faucet; that is, when the faucet is opened and the screw-plug is adjusted to its uppermost limit, determined by abutment of the top of the screw 4' against the bottom side of the internal shoulder of the screw-cap 9, the stud 12 will protrude sufficiently to keep the ball unseated, as shown in Fig. 2. The same effect would be gained by locating the valveseat higher and proportionally reducing both the length of the stud and the depth of the chamber containing the ball, which would thus reduce the swell or bulge at the bottom of the faucet-case .to approximately the form of the ordinary faucet. But I do not confine myself to the relative proportions stated. The stud 12 may be relatively shorter, and the depth of the chamber containing the ball may be less, and. the. arrangementmay be snrh that when the screwplug is adjusted all the way up the ball will seat within the lower side of the orifice and cut off the water. This latter arrangement would provide a two-fold valve, since the water would be shut off by the diskor washer 6 when all the way down and by the ball 10 when the said disk or washer or valve proper is adjusted all the way up, so

' that, in case of a leaky or deteriorated ,fice or passage.

spigot, leakage would be avoided'by the action of the ball when the faucet is turned off, in which event the faucet could be turned on to allow discharge of the water by adjusting the plug-valve. to a position intermediate its extreme limits.

The ball is kept in place or prevented from dislocation by a'suitable cage or socket 13 formed or provided in the bottom of the passage case or shell, which confines the motion of the ball and prevents it from passing from under thevalve-seat. Within the cage, the ball has a free lateral play and may of course wabble more or less under the stud 12. as indicated by the full lines and dotted lines in Fig. 2, but it will be prevented from passing out between the t0p.of the case 13 and the bottom of the ring 8, so that when the stud 12 is withdrawn, the ball will be sure to seat and close the central orilnstcad of the cage 13, the ball may be suitably confined by the shape and size of its chamber, that is by the configuration of the faucet-case, particularly where the stud 12 is shorter and the depth of the ball chamber is less. If, for example,

the proportions should be such as to require only a slight vertical play of the ball, or if the 'ball should be relatively large in diameter, a small swell or bulge in the faucet-case would serve to confine the ball and prevent it from passing laterally out of its proper chamber.

As the ball is intended to be raised by the water pressure back of the valve-seat, it is advisedly made light enough to float and may be of aluminum, wood, cork or any other suitable material, or it may be a hollow metal ball; and it may even be of solid. metal, fiber, glass, rubber or other suitable substance, if there is high pressure in the pipe line sulticient to seat the ball when the restraining stud 12 is withdrawn. B using a hollow ball or other light ball, it would more readily seat even under very low water pressure. In any event, however, if the water pressure should be too low to seat a relatively heavy ball, it would only be neces sary to give the faucet a half ,turn in its coupling to the pipe line, thus inverting the faucet, whereupon the ball would of course seat itself upon withdrawal of the stud.

The diameter of the ball is less than that of the central orifice in the-bridge 7, but greater than the inside diameter of thE'seatring 8. llcncc, in assembling the faucet, the ball is first dropped through the said rentral orilicc and the seat-ring 8 is then pressed or driven forcily into place, the ring being preferably tapered and the walls of the oriliee being similarly shaped to produce a wcdgiug effect and secure the seat-ring lincdly in place. it will thus be seen that the ball and seat-ring can be inserted through the bore of the screw-plug, before the latter is inserted; so that the construction shown avoids the necessity of an extra ,scrmv-cap or bonneton the underside of the faucet-case and hence the faucet with the automatic eut-ofi" can be manufactured at substantially the same cost as an ordinary faucet, the only additional element being the ball. The insertion of the seat-ring as a separate piece is really an advantage, since the ring can be separately manufactured cheaper. and better than by machining the valve-seat as a part of the case casting. Another advantage is that the seatring can be made of better wearing material therefore, consider the faucet shown in Figs. 1 to Elas the best and most practicable of the several constructions illustrated.

tially similar to the construction already described, except in the followmg particulars: Instead of a separate seat-ring, the valve-seals .l and 11, for the disk 6 and ball 10 respectively, are formed as integral parts of the bridge or partitioni; and in this coni neetiou, as vthe central orifice is of less d1- lhe faucet shown in Fig. 4: is' substan.

than the cast brass or metal of the shell.v I,

, figure. --ready described. 10

ameter than the ball, the latter is inserted through the bottom of the faucet-case which for that purpose is provided with a detachable screw-cap or bonnet let, said screw-cap .or bonnet being soeketed to receive'and confinegthe play of the ball and thus taking the place of the cage 13 shown in the preceding The operation 13 the same as al- My'invention also contemplates the con struction of the faucet or valve, as shown in Fig. .4, but without the detachable bonnet H, by employing a yieldable, or resilient, or elastic ball, and forcing it through the ccntral orifice, the latter being ofle'ss diameter than the hall. For example, a rubber-ball or a hollow-ball of resilient material" mayi be forced through the orifice and afterward 'tions whereby the'cut-otl valve is inserted through the central orifice and therebyplaced in posit ion behind the main valve seat without the need of a screw-cap or bonnet on the underside of the case. h

I reserve the right to such'modifications as may. be made in details of construction and arrangement within the scope of my in vention, as defined in the following claims.

I claim as my invention and desire to cure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination of the valve-case 0r shell, a valve-seat therein, a drain valve controlling the passage therethrough and adapted to seat'upon the outlet side thereof, said niain valve having a protrusion adapted to project into said passage, a valve-stem carrying said main valve and protrusion, a spherical valve or ball on the opposite or inlet side of said valve-seat adapted to seat thereagainst under the fluid-pressure when the valve-stem withdraws said main valve and protrusion, and a cage integral with and upstanding from the case for confining the motions of said ball and preventing-lateral dislocation thereof.

2. A faucet havin an inte r'al shell rovided with. a single screw-cap which is above the alve-seat in said shell, :1 screw-plug the spindle of which fits in said screw-cap, said screw-plug working above said Valve-v seat and controlling the orifice therein, and a ball below said orifice and of larger diameter than said orifice, the bottom of the shell being formed to provide an upstand ing ball chamber adapted to confine the play of said ball and prevent its dislocation from under said orifice, the screw plug having a protrusion which prevents the ball from seating until the screw-plug is raisedsuiiivientlv to withdraw said protrusion.

in te timony whereof I afiixmy Signature, in. presence of two witnesses.

MAURICE E. JOYCE. Witnesses:

Josarir C. STACK, ()sooon ll. Downnih' 

